Manti T'eo: Unraveling plot of girlfriend's fake death

9:12 AM,
Jan. 17, 2013

In a statement provided by Creative Artists Agency, Manti Te'o said he had developed an emotional relationship a woman he had met online and was 'the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke.' / Joe Raymond / AP Photo

Written by

Dan Wolken
USA Today

USA Today Sports answers all the questions from the bizarre Manti Te'o story:

Question: When did Te'o first learn of the hoax?

Answer: According to Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, Te'o was at the ESPN College Football Awards show on Dec. 6 when he received a phone call from his girlfriend's phone number with what he recognized as her voice, claiming she was not dead. At that point, he knew something was wrong and informed his parents during a trip home to Hawaii between the Heisman Trophy ceremony and Notre Dame's bowl practices. ...